The Outlanders knew Yahna was different, wiser, special. She knew things she shouldn’t; smiled knowingly whenever they spoke. No secret was safe from her. Even from a young age, growing up mostly unnoticed, she’d been odd, an anomaly. Then she’d grown and her gaze had filled with piercing knowledge and the many secrets she carried became a weapon she could always rely on.

And so they hated her. Even when they came to her for answers and advice, they were wary, knowing it could all be turned against them. She spoke to the bones and the bones spoke back and that was far too strange for them.

They were all rather simple creatures. Mostly self-serving, sometimes violent, often unpleasant. It didn’t bother her that they despised her, they simply didn’t understand. It made the decision to leave an easy one, and they were glad to see her go. She left without a word, simply vanished one day and she knew well that nobody would ask where she’d gone... until they needed her services again.

Out on the empty plains with nothing and nobody, just her own wits and a refusal to settle for anything other than what the bones had promised; a home and power. Both would be hers, one way or the others.

So she wandered, hunting smaller game, drinking from dirty puddles, resting with her belly in the dirt and her eyes closed. Her hardships didn’t matter, she could endure. The spirits would guide her. Through rain and heat, the bones kept her moving, until a shadow appeared above her, circling curiously.
A crane of many eyes turned on the wind and flew away, and she followed. Running to catch up, heedless of thorns scratching at her sides or dangerous land, until they reached the riverside. She smelt it first, her nose wrinkling in dismay. The scent of rot.

The crane landed on a rock and tilted its head at her curiously.

Below it, in the mud, a grisly scene had played out. A lion and crocodile locked in death. They fought to the last and now they were entwined, doomed to be together forever.

Yahna smiled.

The crane smiled back.

Later, as the skulls were drying in the sun, the ants hard at work picking them clean, the crane told the lion her name, and Yahna told the crane her dream. A dream they would now both share.

---

“Seek,” she told Bheka and the stork of many eyes flew into the sky, slow and ponderous, always watching.

And then she waited.

Many days later the bird returned and led the way, to lands between - the pridelands on one side, the outlands on the other, roguelands in between. The path wound downwards, past massive unwelcoming thorn bushes, into a gently sloping ravine, where the rocky walls held caves created long ago by a river that no longer existed.

It was an old place. Bats peered curiously at her when she poked her head into the caves but otherwise the place was abandoned, quiet and peaceful. The perfect place to begin her ascension.

In the gloom she cast her bones, they clattered on the stones and laid themselves in a peculiar pattern. The bird leg splayed sideways indicated a welcome home; the lion tooth spoke of family and new acquaintances; the hyena paw bone told her there were trials ahead; and the tip of the warthog tusked informed her she was on the right path.

Yes, this was the place.

“Is it right?” Bheka asked from her perch nearby, her gaze hopeful. “Is it good?”

“Yes, my dear, you’ve done excellently.”

Her feathers fluffed up with pleasure. “There’s also clean water nearby,” she added proudly. It had taken a long time to find just the right place for a new pride to grow.

“How perfect,” the lion praised her longtime friend.

Her gaze drifted back to the bones and with a claw she touched the lion tooth. “We must find others who share our dream,” she said softly, her paw curling around the bone and the future it promised. “We must spread the word. It is time for the Bonespeakers to emerge.”

---

It was a simple idea that had been growing in Yahna’s mind for a very long time. She could have easily remained with the Outlanders, continued offering her services, simply getting by on favours and secrets. But she was destined for far more - the bones had told her that. The spirit of her mother, whose jaw she wore, whispered in her ears and told her to dream bigger.

So she did.

A pride of her own, full of like minds. They would follow her teachings, learn to read the bones, the clouds, the stars. She’d been called weird and strange and odd, she’d also been called crazy. And yet, the other lions still asked for boons and curses, they asked for knowledge. The pride she created would offer that service - for a price.

And those who understood the call, would join her.

They would become her friends, her family.

Her path unfolded, through conversations with Bheka and the spirits who chose to guide her. Then slowly others arrived. Damu and Tepes were the first and most beloved. With them the pride's purpose took on shape, rites and rituals grew and were forged. Together they hunted and prayed and cast their bones, sharing mystical knowledge. When customers arrived, they offered them hospitality and gave them what they sought, and they in turn spread the word of the Bonespeakers.

Soon more arrived, to join them as Seers, to be part of the family. No longer strange outsiders but beloved and respected for their connection to the occult.

---

Many moons later and the cave had changed. The bats were gone and dried brush and old pelts had been laid down, a warm place for the High Seer to recline, her gaze lidded and thoughtful.

The Outlander across from her shuffled uncomfortably, left on cold stone. His request was still hanging between them, a pregnant silence. She was in no hurry to respond, though her paw reached out slowly, gathering the bones beneath them, feeling their power.

It was a pleasure to watch the Outlander squirm. They’d had to travel far to reach her, they’d had to bring an offering. They’d had to be led through an unfamiliar place, with many eyes watching, only to be placed before her while knowing she held all the pieces. They could have easily been turned away but she’d been magnanimous... and he’d paid a high price.

All the arrogance he might have had at home was gone now.

With a knowing smile, Yahna cast her stones.

(Word count: 1112)